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Chapter Thirty Eight Carefully
closing the door behind him, Falion can sense the tumultuous presence of the
young man. Making
certain to put enough distance between Meesahran’s quarters and his meeting
with the young man in the corridor (so that the sounds of their voices will not
be heard by the young woman), Falion moves quickly to intercept Jae-Lee. Nearly
knocking into the older man, Jae is stopped cold in his advance on Meesahran’s
quarters. “Step
away, old man.
I will not be put off again.”
The determination in his voice, words and face are definitively evident,
but Falion will not be swayed. “I
apologize for any harm that was done to you by my student, but it would be most
unwise for you to continue this confrontation right now, young one.”
His words contain a small amount of persuasion, and the tone is perfectly
clear. His
rage about to boil over, Jae attempts to move past the older man, “I’m not
looking for any advice from you, old man.
I’ve got something to clear up with Mees and I’m not gonna be stopped
this time. I
don’t care if she does kill me, I have to try and get through to her.” Putting
a single hand into Jae’s chest, Falion stops him once more, “You shall not
pass, young one.”
Jae rips the hand down from his chest, only to find himself spun around
with his arm wrapped up behind his back.
“You shall not pass…
I am responsible for what happens to Meesahran and I shall not allow you
to incite her into another fit of rage.” Jae
suddenly relaxes in his struggle, struck by the man’s words and their meaning,
“Then why did you let it happen to her?” At
the question, Falion releases his hold on Jae, “Is that what you believe
occurred, my child?”
Falion takes Jae by the shoulders and spins him around to face the
ancient teacher, “Do you truly believe that I could have allowed these
horrible acts to have taken place?”
The pain in Mussiri’s eyes causes Jae-Lee’s resolve to weaken and he
slumps back against the wall. “No…
I guess not, but how did this happen?
Why did it have to happen to her?”
Jae’s resignation and sorrow are not lost on Master Mussiri. “Come,
young one… Where
we can talk, in the hopes that you shall gain a better understanding.”
Jae nods his head in affirmation and allows the older man to lead him
away. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Handing
the young man a cup containing Jing-Nectar Tea, Falion takes the seat opposite
the pallet upon which Jae is seated.
“Are you certain that you are prepared for such a tale, young one?” Jae
looks up into the Master’s eyes, “I have to know.
She’s all I got, and if I lose her, I’m sunk.
I’ve spent my whole life, since leaving Toman’s group, fishing around
for stories about Mees.
Just knowing what she was doing, or where she was gave me some comfort.
Knowing that she had found a place to belong.
It helped me deal with the guilt… The hardest thing I ever did was
leave her behind, and now I find out my leaving caused her even more pain.
How can I live with that?
Especially if I don’t do anything to try and help her now…” His
sincerity is all that Falion needs to continue. Closing
his eyes and looking inward, for that center, Falion exhales slowly and
deliberately, “First and foremost, your departure was not the cause of this
incident. Meesahran
was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time.
I was told that she had been celebrating her good fortune after a
recently successful assignment.
It seems that she had exceeded her debt to Toman and had been given a
full partnership.” Jae
looks surprised at his statement, “You’ve got to be kidding, that was some
debt. She’d
been with him since she was really little.
It took me forever to scrape together that kind of dough…” Falion
only smiles, “It would appear that Meesahran managed to put one of Toman’s
competitors out of business, without Toman having to spend a single credit.
Her slicing skills uncovered some rather inappropriate dealings with a
high-ranking Corellian official.
His superiors and a rather ambitious investigator with the Corellian
Police Authority were most pleased with the information provided to them by
Meesahran’s efforts.
There was also a sizable reward for the conviction of this competitor, so
Toman released Meesahran from her debt and made her a full partner.” Jae
shrugs his shoulders and shakes his head, “That must have been Farquay.
I heard he got nabbed for some underhanded stuff… But what happened to
Mees?” Falion
takes in another deep breath and slowly exhales, “She was on Treasure Ship
Row, celebrating, as she was once want to do, on occasion.
Her companions were unable to keep up with her, and so they retired,
leaving her to play a few hands of Sabaac before she was to return to her
quarters. That
was the last any of them saw of her, until after she was found, some five days
later.” Mussiri’s
breathing is now somewhat heavier and Jae can sense the dread building up in
him.” Reaching
out a hand, and placing it over the hands of the older man, “Please, go on.
I have to know…” Thinking to himself for a moment, “Xana tells me
that you were the one to find her, is ‘at right?” Once
again breathing deeply and slowly releasing the breath, “Yes, I arrived in
Coronet City on the fourth day.
I was to meet with an old friend on Drall, but I was unable to continue
on past Corellia.
Something was calling out to me, something in horrible pain.
When I closed my eyes, I could almost see through a young girl’s eyes;
Meesahran’s eyes.
The pain was excruciating, and I was barely able to concentrate an
anything else.
I quickly followed the pain to its source, through the connection that I
felt with this poor tortured soul.”
Falion closes his eyes tightly, struggling to remove the mental images he
is bombarded with in the retelling of this horrible tale. Jae
sits quietly, shaking his head, “That’s what I don’t get… She never
called out to me… I would’ve heard her from anywhere, I just know it…”
Burying his head in his hands, Jae continues into the path of his grief and
guilt. Placing
a hand of comfort on the young man’s shoulder, “Perhaps you are right, young
one. But
her sense of betrayal was still quite fresh in her mind.
It would be a long time before that sense began to dull…” Jae looks
into the older man’s eyes once more and can see the truth in his statement. “Please,
continue. I
have to know…
Even if it hurts…” Falion
nods his head and begins again, “I followed the sensation to Coronet City,
where I was greeted by several unsavory men, asking to search my ship.
It was then that I discovered a young girl was missing.
From these ‘gentlemen’ I learned that she had been part of a large
investigation recently and that it was presumed she had been disposed of in
order to prevent her testimony.”
Falion stands and walks over to the heating plate, retrieves another cup
of Jing-Nectar Tea and sips from it carefully.
“I knew that it had to be this same girl, so I contacted her employer,
the man who had hired these other men to search for the girl… From him I
learned of her last location and I set out to find her myself… If, for no
other reason than to end the pain that I was feeling myself, from this young
girl’s pleadings for mercy…” Taking his seat once more, he continues,
“Making my way through Treasure Ship Row, I could sense her presence has
having been there, and the cries grew louder.
However, soon after the cries stopped, and I feared for the worse.”
Falion takes in yet another deep breath, slowly releasing it and keeping
his mind focused on his task at hand.
“So, I looked deep into myself and struggled to make contact with the
girl. Praying
against all hope that she was yet living.
When I felt her stirring, I was relieved.
I latched on to that bond and fought my way through every alleyway and
gutter in Coronet City, until I came upon a figure lying atop a refuse heap.
Her life force burned so brightly, that I knew in an instant that this
was the being I had been searching for…” Mussiri holds his breath before
continuing, “And when I pulled the blood-matted hair away from her horribly
battered face, I could not believe this was the same girl in the holos that had
been circulating the city that whole week… She was barely hanging on to life
when I found her, so I immediately tried to help her, but I fear that I am not
much of a healer.
I was able to restore her breathing, but she required a great deal more
medical attention than I was prepared to offer her.
It was then that I contacted Higaeri, and he arranged for her to be taken
to the nearest med-facility in the city.” Jae
sits in silence as he soaks in all of the story being told to him, but his
questions will have to be answered.
With tremendous grief in his heart and dread in his soul, “So, was she
r-…” Unable to continue, Jae stops mid-sentence. Knowing
nature of the strangled question, Mussiri answers, “Yes, my child, many
times…” The
admission causes Falion as much pain as the young man. “All of her injuries
were most extensive and it was a full month before she could even be moved…”
Falion pauses, strengthening himself for the last revelation, “And there was
nothing to connect the people who did these things to the man she helped to
destroy. There
was nothing to connect her torture to anyone, for that matter.
It was as though someone had been able to wipe away every trace of her
existence until I found her.
I have never encountered such a feat in all of my travels, and it has
caused me great worry ever since.
There was some black art involved in these acts, of this I am certain,
but I have never been able to solve that mystery, and it is my greatest
failure…” The man’s words hit Jae’s heart, knowing that this man cares
so deeply for his friend, that his greatest sorrow is not having been able to
right the wrongs done to her. Seeing
Mussiri’s head bent in reverence, Jae stands up and crosses over to the man,
placing a sympathetic hand upon his shoulder.
“You can’t do that to yourself.
Believe me, I’ve spent my life chasing after shadows and it’s never
gotten me anywhere.” “Perhaps
you are right, my child…” Looking up into the young man’s eyes, “But,
perhaps you should follow your own advice, as well?”
The man’s response nearly stops Jae’s heart and starts him thinking. How
come I can’t come up with this stuff on my own?
Maybe the old man’s right… I guess it couldn’t hurt to see this
thing through… And besides, I think I owe it to Mees… I couldn’t bear it
if she really thought I was abandoning her again… No, this time I need to
follow this to a conclusion.
Taking a deep breath of his own, “Master Mussiri, would you mind if I
stayed on with you guys for a while longer?
I want to see this thing finished, if it’s all right with you?” Mussiri
lowers his head and nods, “If that is what you wish?.. I shall not dissuade
you on that course…” Standing up to meet the young man’s gaze, “Since
you shall be continuing on with us, perhaps you shall assist me in taking us to
the next jump point into Chandrila?”
Falion offers him his hand. Jae,
taking the proffered hand in gratitude, “You got it, and besides, Mees could
probably use the sleep, huh?”
His disarming smile is all that Master Mussiri needs to see that all will
be well, for now. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ After
providing Jae-Lee with the proper navigation for their next jump, Master Mussiri
sits alone in his cabin, deep in meditation.
However, his mind keeps sending him back to his discussion with the young
man. I
only wish that I could be certain my choice was right.
But I shall have to leave that up to the future… And the boy does seem
happier with his decision, even if it was somewhat coaxed out of him…
Creator: PtrsonsZOO (Jennifer) & arrowheadpodracer (Josh)
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